Non-belspo (2002-2006)

Si-WEBS - Natural
and anthropogenic modifications of the Si cycle along the land-ocean
continuum: Worldwide Ecological, biogeochemical and Socio-economical
consequences

Project description

The general objective of the Si-WEBS
network is to integrate the Si biogeochemical cycle into a human
perspective, by evaluating the worldwide impacts of natural and
anthropogenic perturbations of the coastal Si cycle onto a) the
ecology of coastal ecosystems, b) the biogeochemistry of the
global Si and C cycles, and c) the socio-economics of the coastal
zone. The importance of Si for both coastal ecosystem health
and the C cycle arises from the unique requirement of diatoms
for this nutrient. Diatoms are unicellular algae that play a
key role in the export of carbon, towards higher trophic levels
(they form the basis of high quality food chains) and the ocean
interior (and thus in the C biological pump). To reach these
general objectives, Si-WEBS will proceed in 4 steps:

1) improve
our fundamental knowledge of the coupling between the Si and
C cycles in rivers, coastal zones and open oceans, first separately,
then during their interactions;
2) build quantitative modeling tools to describe Si transformations
along the land-ocean continuum;
3) use these modeling tools to evaluate ecological, biogeochemical
and socio-economical consequences, of natural and anthropogenic
watershed perturbations on the coastal zone;
4) provide innovative tools that will include Si as a key parameter
for coastal ecosystem management in a sustainable perspective
(a coupled river/coastal zone model to simulate the effects
of various watershed management policies, early warning indicators)
to policy makers.

Eight teams have been brought together to carry
out this strongly interdisciplinary research. This unique combination
of scientists with complementary expertise in various fields
(ecology, bio-geochemistry, global modeling, socio-economics),
with various skills (experimentalist, modeler, data manager),
and acting in various environments (from the watershed to the
open ocean) shall make this network a success, both in terms
of scientific achievements and training of young researchers